Tile spacer



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Nov. 28, 1961 R. J. ROD-rz, SR

TILE SPACER Filed Sept. 24. 1958 Flc. 5

STRAIGHT EDGE (STI United States PatentOhice 3,010,213 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 3,010,213 TILE SPACER Robert J. Rodtz, Sr., 145 Dubois Ave., West New Brighton, Staten Island 10, N.Y. Filed Sept. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 763,041 4 Claims. (Cl. 153-180) This invention has reference to a set of spacer members which is especially well adapted for use for align `other and tensioned in parallel relation to two adjacently disposed side walls of a room for example, to serve as guides for aligning the first two coordinately disposed rows of tiles to be cemented onto the door or walls of such room, these rows of tiles in turn serving as guides for the aligning of successive rows of tiles in both directions, that is at right angles to each other.

While that practice has been found to somewhat assist in laying the first two coordinately disposed rows of tiles in an vapproximately straight line, the nal alignment and the spaced relation between the tiles in these first two rows and the consecutive rows is elected by sight approximation, resulting in considerable difference in the spaced relation between adjacently disposed tiles and between each row of Itiles in the two directions, this diiculty in laying tiles by the use of theV method practiced heretofore, as above mentioned, being rendered still more diicult because of the fact that considerable variation exists in the dimension and angularity of the tiles with the result that a side of a tile aligned with the cord and with the sides of the other tiles in a row, the opposite side of such tile obviously did not fall in alignment and in spaced relation with other tiles in other rows, thus necessitating the removal of all the tiles and the repeating of the aligning and cementing operation, such method of laying Itiles as to straight line alignment of the rows, as to parallelism of the rows, space relation between the tiles and angular relation of the tiles relative to each lother forming the rows, has been found to be a time consuming operation, ditlicult and unpracticable even to highly skilled mechanics.

The object of the present invention resides in the provision of a set, or combination, of spacer members whereby the angular and spaced relation and the alignment of the tiles may be effected in a simple and accurate manner by any inexperienced person, while requiring only a minimum of time and expenses.

The novel features of the invention and advantages will appear from the following description and by the claims appended thereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is a view in perspective of a four integrally formed arm spacer member constructed according to the present invention, the arms being bowed in the foun of semi-crescents and disposed at right angles to each other in the form of a cross-shaped figure;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of -a three integrally formed arm spacer member which is a derivative of the spacer member shown in FIG. 1 substantially forming a capital letter T adapted to be used in conjunction or in combination with the cross-shaped spacer member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of a two integrally formed ann crescent-shaped spacer member which is another derivative of the spacer member shown in FIG. 1

for use in combination with the spacer members shown in FIG. 1 and 2, in a tile aligning and spacing operation;

FIGS. 1A, 2A and 3A are side views of the spacer members turned clockwise 45 from the position indicated in FIGS. l, 2 and 3, respectively, to show the thickness variation of the spacer arms from end to end, one of such arms, FIG. 1A, being shown with a portion broken awa i FIG. 4 is a side view of the spacer members shown 1n FIGS. l, 2 and 3 slightly modified, one arm of one such spacer members being shown in section taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 5, the supporting surface being shown 1n section and with portions broken away; and

FIG. 5 is a plan View showing one set of spacer members in position relative to a plurality of tiles and relative to two straight edges used for moving the tiles and the spacer members in spaced and aligned relation to each other on the supporting surface for the tiles.

According to the present invention, the set of spacer members S1, S2 and S3, shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3 respectively, may be constructed of any desired hard material. The spacer member S1, as shown in FIG. l, consists of four integrally formed arms 10, 11, 12 and 13, disposed at right angles to each other, forming a 'geometrical iigure representing a cross with the arms bowed or curved in the form of a crescent, the height of which from its narrow edge portions corresponds to substantially twice the thickness of the tiles and with the transverse dimension of these arms made to correspond to the width of the joint desired between the tiles, while the thicknesses of the arms 10-11 and 12-13, which are disposed in straight line'alignment form as above mentioned two crescent-shaped iigures the ends of which serve as bearing points on which the spacer is adapted to rest, while that portion or junction point of the arms which extend above the plane surface of the tiles where the crescent has the greatest thickness, serves to prevent the accidental deformation of the arms in the handling of the spacers while in actual use. Spacer S1 is adapted to be placed as for example in position at the adjacently disposed corners of four tiles as T1, T2, T3 and T4, or at the adjacent corners of tiles T2, T4, T5 and T6, to be aligned either by the use of the combination of the spacer, shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3, or the combination of the spacer comprising the spacer members Sly, S2)7 and S3y, shown in their respective position between the tiles in FIG. 4.

The spacer member S2, as shown in FIG. 2, is formed with three arms 14, 15 and 16, of variable thickness from end to end, the arm 16 extending at right angles to the rectilinear or straight aligned arms 14-15 to form therewith substantially a capital letter T, while the arm 16 is joined to the arm 14-15 at the middle length of the crescent-shaped ligure thus formed. In actual use the arm 16 of spacer member S2, as best seen in FIG. 5, is yadapted to he placed between the adjacently disposed Vcorners T3y and T 4y of the tiles T3 and T4 for example,

jinafter described in detail.

The spacer member S3, shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, is constructed with two arms 17 and 18 disposed in straight line alignment and bowed to form a crescent-shaped figure. The transverse width of the arms of spacer member S3, like the end portions of arms 10-11 and 12-13 of spacer member S1 and the arms 14, 15 and 16 of spacer member S2, corresponds to that of the width of the circle.

joints desired between the tiles as TS and T6, or the joints between the tile T6 and the straight edge ST1, as shown in FIG. 5.

The free ends of the-rectilinear or straight-'line disposed arms --11 and 12-13 which form the crossshaped figure S1 shown in FIG. 1, the free end of each arm 14-15 and 16 formingV spacer member S2 shown in FIG. 2, and the free endof each rectilinear disposed arms 17 and 18 forming spacer member S3 shown in FIG. 3, terminate with a small Contact area, or narrow members may be removed from between the tiles in a edge, to serve as above mentioned bearing surfaces adapti ed to rest over the adhesive covered supporting surface for the tiles for supporting their respective spacer members in the position best indicated in FlGS. 4 and 5, while the small contact area of the bearing surface at the vends of the arms has been found to greatly facilitate the removal of the spacer members from between the aligned tiles, substantially free of adhesive, and therefore without the liability-'of disturbing the aligned relation of the tiles upon the removal of the spacers from the supporting surface. Y I

The spacer members Sly, S2yV and Sy, shown in PEG, 4, are modifications of the spacer members S1, S2 `and yS3 above described, in that the spacer members Sly, S2y and S3y are adapted to be punched from a metallic sheet with the arms 17y and 18y of spacer member 'S3y curved to form substantially a semicircle, the arms My, 15y and 16y of spacermember SZy forming a capital letter T and the arms lily, ily and -f'of spacer member Sly forming a cross with the arms bowed to a radius of a length substantially twice the Vthickness of the tiles with which these spacers are used. These spacerV members thus formed are afterwards submitted to a hardness treatment for increasing the rigidity of the material, while the transverse width of the larms lily-Hy and 12y13y of spacer member Sly, like the spacer member Sl shown in FIG. l, corresponds to the space desired between the adjacent cornersV of tiles T1, 2, T3 and T4, or the tiles T2, T4, T5 and T6, while the junction portions of the arms which protrude above the top surface of the tiles form means in the form of a handle adapted to be gripped by the ngers for placing in or removing the spacers from between the tiles following their alignment onto the adhesive covered supporting surface.

The spacer member SZy, PEG. 4, which, as above mentioned, is a modification of the spacer member shown in FTG. 2, consists of three arms 14y, 1531 and 16y extending at right angles to each other, this spacer member, like the spacer members Sly and S3y, maybe punched from a sheet metal with the arms 14y, 15y disposed in straight line alignment andv bent to form a semicircle having a radius like the arms of spacer member S2, which is substantially twice the thickness of the tiles, while the arm 16y forms a quarter of a circle thus completing a capital T shapediigure `adapted for use in a manner similar to that of spacer member S2 shown in FIGS. 2 and `5.

The spacer member shown v in figure S3y may be punched from a sheet metal or cut the required length Vfrom a strip of the desired width and bent, as above mentioned, to the form representing substantially a semi- The free ends of arms 10y-11y and 12y13y of spacer member Sly, the free ends of arm 14y-15y and that of arm 16y of spacer member S2y and the free ends of arms 17y-18y of rectilinear spacer member S3y these spacer members are adapted to rest onto the adhesive covered'supporting surface for the tiles.

'In an actual aligning and spacing operation of tiles on an adhesive covered supporting surface, as the sub-oor shown ,in'FIGS 4 and 5, the tiles as T1, T2, T4, T5 and T6 for example, and one of the sets of spacer members as S1, S2 and S3, or Sly, S2y and S3y, are placed at random or approximate relation to each other and relative Yto the straight edges ST1 and ST2, andrthis followed by a side way movement of each of these straight edges convenient manner by gripping with the fingers that portion of the spacers which extends above the Vtop surface of the tiles, while the small contact area of the bearing ends of the arms of the respective spacer member resting over the adhesive on the supporting surface permits theremoval of the spacer members from such surface without kdisturbing the alignment of the tiles.

What I claim is:

1. A tile spacer member consisting of a number of integrally formed half-crescent shaped arms extending at Vright angles to each other from a common junction point, the remote ends of said crescent-shaped arms being free and forming bearing means adapted to rest. over a supporting surface, `the junction point of said arms being adapted to form means serving lforplacing on and re- 3. A tile spacer member for use for aligning and spacing tiles on a supporting surface, said membercomprising a plurality of integrally formed arms extending from a common junction point at different angles relative to each other, each of said arms being bowed to form semicircles, the end portions of said bowed arms forming bearing edges for supporting said member on the supporting surface for the tiles, the junction point of said bowed arms forming means adapted to be gripped by the fingers for placing in or removing said spacer member from the Ysupporting surface for the tiles.

4. A combination of tile spacer members ofthe class described for use for aligning and spacing tiles on an adhesive covered supporting surface, a number of said spacer members being derivative of one of said spacer members which is basic, said members having different numbers of bowed integrally formed arms .of variable thickness from their point ofjunction to the free ends thereof generated by a radius-from different center points, said arms being disposed in angular relation .to each other to form respectively a double crescent vrepresenting a cross, a crescent joined to a semicrescent representing a capital letter T and two arms representing a crescentshaped ligure, the free ends of said arms of each of said spacer membersforrning narrow edge bearing means adapted to rest on the adhesive covering the supporting surface for the tiles.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,675 Galassi YMay 10, 1921 1,440,366 Baldwin Ian. 2, 1923 1,772,829 Giampaoli Aug.v 12, 1930 2,466,919 Sykes Apr. 12, 1949 2,527,985 Burroway Oct. 31, 1950 2,543,716 Carini Feb. 27., 1951 2,930,135 Rodtz HMar` 29., 1960 FORETGN PATENTS Great Britain 1932 

